Where Icarus Flies

Join Bill as he gives his clever take on world events, pop culture, family life and values, and more. This social commentary flies high, but can it keep from getting too close to the sun? Come where only eagles dare and find out, Where Icarus Flies.

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Be Prepared!!!

Where Icarus Flies Episode 8 is not budging from its original time slot!

WhereIF Episode 8 Contents

Well, it has been an interesting week. The Balloon Boy’s dad went to jail, Earthquakes rock the globe, Tiger Woods looks like he will hide from The Masters, American Idol goes on without Paula, NBC creates yet another mess with The Tonight Show and that is just the start! We have no time to waste let’s get right to it. This is what I have for you this week…

NBC Prime Time/Late Night/Leno/Conan Disaster!

What the hack is going on over at NBC? These are the words, more or less, that have been said over and over this week by all sane individuals. This is a screw-up of major proportions. The battle lines have been drawn, but I think they have been drawn incorrectly. In the last few days, folks have been dividing into Team Leno and Team Conan (a.k.a. Team Coco). This is very unfair to Jay. The war is between Team Conan and Team NBC. Although I am sure that Jay is not innocent, neither is Conan. He helped contribute to this mess as much as anyone else by pushing for The Tonight Show as hard as he has. Don’t get me wrong, he was within his right, but Leno never wanted to leave The Tonight Show. He was forced out.

The bad guy in this tale is, of course, NBC. They created this mess. Is Conan getting screwed? Yes… yes he is. Don’t forget, however, Jay is getting (has already gotten and continues to be) screwed as well. Sure, no one cries for a multimillionaire who has an aircraft hanger full of fancy cars. Still, he is just as much a victim as Conan. I am fans of both Leno and Conan. Unfortunately, NBC has created a situation where only one can stay. Who should it be? You’ll just ha Abrhams ve to listen and find out.

Hollywood and the Current Reboot Fad

What is the difference between a reboot, a remake, a retelling, a retooling, a reinvention and a refresh? Who cares! What we really want are good movies. Done right, with the right franchise at the right time, rewriting the story into a similar, yet new tale can be just what the doctor ordered. Take Star Trek (2009) for example. After 10 movies the Star Trek franchise was tired and worn. That being said, it is still a highly successful franchise that just needed a pick-me-up. There are a lot of things that they could have done, but they chose to rewrite events from a point in the franchise’s past and create an alternate timeline for a new story (fitting for a sci-fi franchise). J.J. Abrams was the right director, he chose a great cast and they had a decent script. It all worked very well and Star Trek is likely to get a Best Picture nomination this year. Could it have flopped? Sure.

Star Trek is not the first success and will not be the last. Batman Begins is another great success story. There have also been horrible failures. I am not just talking about bad remakes, there are lot’s of those. I am talking about movies that were intended to reignite a franchise, but failed. Moves like Godzilla (1998) and Planet of the Apes (2001). I read that Hollywood wants reboot the Teen Wolf and Ghostbuster franchises. Are we really calling it the Teen Wolf franchise? Anyway… are we really that short of good new screenplays? Please say it ain’t so!

“Would you like debit or credit?”

Bank card fees. What are they, why are they, where are they? The answer to this now common everyday question makes a big difference to our economy. I spend some time oversimplifying and demystifying bank transaction fees. I bet you didn’t know that Visa was the schoolyard bully. Come find out why.

The Hoover Report

Joey stops by to give us his take on Kate Gosselin’s new show, the 2010 U.S. Census, Pat Robertson (man, what an idiot) and more.

Masterworks Theatre

We have a very special Masterworks Theatre this week. I give a dramatic reading of part of Conan O’Brien’s statement. Which, I think, will forever be known as The Statement.

Podcast File Info – Episode 8

I have gone back to making the enhanced version of the podcast (.m4a) the default version in my RSS Feed and on iTunes. If you have any problems with it, let me know (although if you use iTunes, .m4a is not a problem). I have received feedback that some mobile devices have trouble with the enhanced version (yes, that is you Blackberry). You can still get the .mp3 version from the website.

Running time: 58 minutes

MP3 file size: 56MB

M4A file size: 58MB

All show ideas, comments and questions can be sent to feedback@whereicarusflies.com